


When the World Falls Down

by universalchaos



Category: The Labyrinth - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Romance, back to the labyrinth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:04:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4154679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universalchaos/pseuds/universalchaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A seemingly normal trip home turns chaotic when someone gets a hold of a certain little red book. It looks like Sarah's headed back to where it all began, but can she handle what's in store for her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home

### Chapter One: Home

Sarah felt a gentle hand shake her awake.  


"We're here, miss."  


Thank goodness, she thanked the cab driver and threw her one small backpack over a shoulder on her way up to the house.  


Nothing ever really changed here, other than Sarah's feelings about the place. She loved her family, and missed them very much, but being home always brought up unbearable memories. After returning from that terrible place, all those years ago, she could never quite stop looking over her shoulder. Her friends stopped answering her calls in the mirror, and ultimately, she stopped trying. She threw herself into caring for her step brother, a pleasant surprise for her two confused parental figures. Thankfully though, her love of the theater never subsided. She threw herself into every acting opportunity she could get and, eventually, made an excellent career for herself.  


Her typical welcoming party was waiting for her in the front room.  
"Sarah!" All 120 lbs of her teenage brother came crashing into her, knocking both of them to the ground.  


"It's good to see you, too," she laughed. After the long hug sessions were over they all retired to the dining room for a wonderfully smelling dinner. Irene had clearly out done herself this time.  


"Sweetheart, we just wanted to say we're sorry again, for missing your performance last month, we really wanted nothing more than to be there." Her step mother's lovely face had softened over the years, gray hairs finally peeking out of her shiny, brunette head. Their relationship had only gotten better as the years passed, the shock of almost losing Toby bringing understanding to Sarah's life.  


""It's alright, I understood. Besides, I'll be in more plays, but how often do you get to see Toby sing! I just wish I could have been there.""  


Toby ducked his head in embarrassment. He had been cast as an oompa loompa in his high schools performance of The Wizard of Oz last month. Unfortunately, Sarah had been away in Chicago, playing Titania in a special production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It had been a depressing night for her, but she was promised a DVD showing of her little brother's humiliation upon her return.  


"Let's go watch it now!" Robert exclaimed.  


Watching Toby go from mildly embarrassed to an intense beet red, Sarah decided to intercept. "Actually, to be honest, it was a really long drive. Let's watch it in the morning, I think I'll head to bed if that's alright."  


The smile of relief she received was almost comical.  


"Oh, alright. Off to bed with you too, young man."  


A nervous feeling started to sink into her stomach as her hand grasped the doorknob. Being in her old bedroom always seemed to illicit this response in her, though she had no idea why. Upon moving out she had given most of her belongings to Good Will, preferring to start over fresh in her new life. She had kept only the bed, a few more sentimental items, and her treasured book collection. With a great exhale, Sarah collapsed, exhausted, onto her bed. As much as she dreaded being reminded of her old life, she really was glad to be here with her family. It killed her to miss so many of Toby's accomplishments. Phone calls three or four times a week were no replacement for watching him grow up and helping him through the trials of high school. Lying down gave her a full view of her sparse bedroom. Setting her eyes upon the book shelf she could instantly tell one was missing. Not just any book, the small red book that she kept always on the top shelf, right next to her collection of Shakespeare.  


Sarah leapt off the bed immediately. Just as she was about to begin her frantic search, she heard three distinct knocks on the door.  


"Come on in".  


The door creaked open as Toby entered. "Hey sis, thanks for helping me out back there, they won't let it go that I actually DID something at school", he laughed.  


"It's no problem, they can be really-", Sarah's smile dripped off of her face. "Is that my book??"  


Her brother looked down at his hands, surprised at her reaction. "Yeah, you said I could borrow the Shakespeare one to study for drama class, and this was next to it. I thought it kinda looked cool and I figured you wouldn't mind."  


"Never that one!" She snatched her precious possession from her brother's shocked hands. Staring at his expression, she began to feel horrible. She had, after all, offered him her collection.  


"Look, I'm really sorry, it's just that this one is different...-"  


"Why are you such a Bitch when you come home?! I never see you and when you finally come back you act crazy!"  


She could feel the pent up teenage anger oozing out of her little brother and she knew she had overreacted. It was frustrating enough growing up alone in a house with their strict parents. She began to apologize again, but he wasn't done. Not by a long shot.  


"I wish the Goblin King would just come and take you back already!" he exclaimed as he slammed the door behind him, having no clear idea how powerful his words could be.  


Sarah was standing in the center of her room, utterly stunned, when the subtle, chilly breeze swept in from no where.


	2. Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So we find ourselves back in the dreaded Goblin kingdom. What can that horrible, beast of a King want now?

###  Chapter two: Home? 

Sarah kept her eyes tightly closed, praying it wasn't real. That she would open them again and be back at home, apologizing for her blunder, holding her family tightly. Arms wrapped firmly around herself, as if desperately grasping for reality itself, she braced herself for what she knew would come.

"Sarah." 

The voice was not the haughty, unpleasant one that she expected. Instead, she could feel the sadness pouring from his lips. Something else sprang forth with it, hope? Relief? She could not fathom why her name came out almost as a prayer, from this monster conjured up from her deepest nightmares. She refused to flinch as the hand of her greatest enemy came to lightly rest upon her shoulder.

I never thought I'd see you again. I tried, I tried to-"

"No, I don't to hear it. I want to go home. NOW." She forced herself to look at him. He looked exactly as she left him. The same frilly, luxurious shirts and tight breeches, high black boots that seemed to make him tower over her even more than he already did. Only as she looked into his bright, mismatched eyes did she hesitate. They were different, and yet the same. She could feel him staring deeply into her very soul, as though this very moment, right here, was worth life and death to him. Why weren't they filled with contempt? He should hate her after that humiliating defeat. "You have no power over me!" she could feel tears falling down here cheeks.

"I know," The words came so softly, she wasn't sure she had even heard them. 

The Goblin King seemed to remember himself then, a determined fierceness returning to his eyes, he straightened up and stared down at her. "Sarah darling, you have always had the power to come and go as you please, ever since you escaped the Labyrinth. I simply took the only chance of taking you when it presented itself. You may leave whenever you wish, but..... I would like to invite you to stay."

There was no way she was hearing this correctly, it must be a trick. He did sound sincere though, as much as she hated admitting it. 

"If you do decide to live amongst us here, you will want for nothing. All your wildest dreams will be at your fingertips, my goblins can be quite entertaining at times too, you will find. There will be no restrictions, your friends will see you whenever you wish, even your family Above. As my Queen I will ensure your every happiness, you have my word"

She had never seen Jareth look so nervous, words escaped her. No, she needed time to think about this, it was wrong. The idea of being a Queen was absurd, she barely knew him. Although, he had never tried to really bring her harm, even when there was ample opportunity and advantage for him to take action. There was no denying the feelings he elicited in her, either. She wanted so badly to believe her childhood self, to hate him unconditionally, but it was true she could feel warmth in her heart when she looked into his eyes, as if she were returning to her true home. "How do I get back?" she choked out.

He was trying hard to hide the pain on his face, he had clearly not expected to be rejected so suddenly. "Concentrate on the place you would like to visit, and say 'I wish I was there,' I trust you can handle such simple instruction." He refused to turn his back on her, holding her within his sight every second she remained.

One moment later, and she was back in her bedroom, feeling more alone than she had in her entire life.

"What now?" she sighed

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What indeed? 
> 
> I've had this scene playing over and over in my head for about a week now, and I've been super anxious to get it right.It's such an intense moment, but of course these things can't be TOO rushed. Hope I nailed it. Comments and criticism are always welcome!


	3. Musings

###  Chapter 3: Musings

Jareth transformed back into a barn owl and flew gracefully out the nearest window. Sweeping over the hillside, his Labyrinth slowly disappearing into the horizon, he refused to think about anything but the feeling of wind underneath his wings, if only for a moment. After a while he landed elegantly upon a tree deep in the forest on the edge of his kingdom, no one would be able to locate him here.

With a deep sigh, he grew back into his full form. Perched leisurely on the branch, one lengthy leg hanging down, swaying back and forth, elbow propped up on his other raised knee, face in hand, it all began to hit him at once. "She doesn't want this. She doesn't want......me."

Not that he'd had too much hope to begin with, her first rejection of him had dealt a major hit to his confidence. Still, he had to try again, and waiting all these agonizing years for an opportunity to do so had been painful enough. Now that he knew she was gone forever, it was unbearable. What had he done wrong, really? She wanted the babe gone, he had taken it. She wanted to make the game more interesting, he had moved time and the stars in space for her, this girl. Her childishness and selfish tendencies should have been off putting, but from the moment he had begun watching her, he could see the tenacity, generosity, and love that lay beneath her still immature exterior. That fateful day in the park, so long ago he wondered if it had happened at all, when he had ventured into the human world to end a bout of boredom.

The usual folk were about, humans walking their furry, messy companions, others in brightly colored clothing running around in circles, families playing silly games. All very much boring, until he spotted her. A tiny human in the silliest pink garment you could ever imagine, a hastily prepared garland of flowers adorning her messy brown locks, grandly reading aloud from a book for her imaginary audience. Her stumbling performance of a silly fairy tale, Rapunzel, if he wasn't mistaken, captivated him somehow, the way she put her whole heart into it, even though she could hardly pronounce any of it. What startled him most though, was how very alone she seemed to be. All of the other children were surrounded by their parents, and this wild child was far from any of the adults. Curiosity got the best of him, turning back into himself he approached the youngster. 

"Hello there, may I ask the honor of knowing your name? It must be lovely, for such a beautiful princess as yourself." He gave his most charming smile, but the child still jumped, clearly startled and red faced as she gazed in horror at being discovered.

"Um...my name is Sarah." She turned her bright, tomato face towards the ground, hands fidgeting behind her, nervous as a chipmunk. It was strangely endearing, for a human.

"Well, Sarah, where might your parents be? It seems quite odd to me that a princess would be out and about without her escort, yes?"

"Please don't tell!" Her eyes bugged out in panic, their emerald green standing out more than ever in the shining sun. " I snuck out...Daddy was eating dinner with the strange lady again, and I wanted to practice my play. He said he would take me out later, but he never does anymore. I'm not supposed to leave without him but, I like it out here, it's so pretty and quiet, no one ever tells me to quiet down here." Her shamed face pointing back at the ground, he had to fight back the building anger. What kind of father didn't even notice their own child missing? 

"I won't tell sweetheart, I promise, but you have to promise me something in return, is that alright?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, happy to be out of trouble. " Good, now you have to promise me that you won't sneak out anymore, it can be dangerous for little princesses out on their own. Now, since you have clearly been working very hard, I would like very much to see this play of yours, but then you must return home, your father must be quite worried." 

Jareth still didn't know what possessed him that day, but he sat and quietly listened while she gave him her greatest performance. When it was over, and they parted ways, he watched from the skies to ensure her safe return, and returned nearly every night since, becoming her silent guardian angel through the many stages of her life. It should have been a fleeting fascination, nothing more, for goodness sakes it was a child, after all. Nothing more than a silly human child, and yet, something about her held a part of him captive from that day forward. 

"It was ridiculous to think she would remember me anyway." he reflected. Besides, she would only think him as crazy as he knew himself to be. Indeed, he had cared for her from her small years, making certain she stayed happy and enjoying her little smiles, but it hadn't turned into more until he had brought her into his Labyrinth. Watching her determination grow and her cleverness in solving every obstacle he set into her path, only then had he learned true desire. The desire to have someone truly worthy at his side, a companion to guide him through the loneliness of his existence. Her strength and intelligence there to provide him with endless distractions and possibilities. 

Yet here he sat, those possibilities gone from his future like a feather in the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Now that I have a starting point I'm going to try and commit to updating on Fridays, thanks for your patience!  
> comments and criticism is, as always, most welcome :)


	4. Time

### Sarah

This was crazy. Absolutely, totally, completely bonkers. But the decision had been made, it took her an entire, sleepless night, but she had her mind made up. After all, if things didn't work out, if he turned out to be exactly as she had previously suspected, all she had to do was wish herself away. The only difficult part-oh who was she kidding, none of this was easy, but the hardest part would be her family. She spent a good hour composing a note, detailing an emergency that had come up back home, something trivial about an actor breaking their leg during rehearsal, and letting them know she would be back in no less than a week to finish their vacation together. That should keep them from asking too many questions, at least for a while.

Packing was short, thankfully. She'd never unpacked her small bag to begin with, and she wasn't sure what she would need anyway. What does one bring with them to visit the King of Goblins? A toothbrush? This was all so confusing, she had to act now, before the reality of her choice set in. She took a deep, calming breath, and closed her eyes. "I wish I was in the Goblin King's throne room."

She was wrong before, the most difficult part was opening her eyes again. It is a very tricky thing, describing the feeling that comes over you when you suddenly discover yourself completely surrounded by a hundred goblins, all staring intensely at you, waiting patiently for your next move. Her body grew cold, sweat forming on her brow, throat and mouth entirely dried up. It took everything she had in her heart to not instantly wish herself back to her warm, safe bedroom in the human world. 

"Ex-excuse me, would you mind, terribly, helping me find the King?" she could only hope their reaction would be pleasant. Not that she would blame them for being angry, she'd invaded their home uninvited, after all. And as it turns out, she was in luck today. The tiniest of the bunch, an odd looking thing with blue skin, and a few strands of wispy green hair, lifted it's arm, and pointed to the door on her left. Sighing with relief, she quietly thanked them and ran as quickly as she could out of there, not eager to look back.

The hallways through here seemed endless, as she slowed herself to a walk, judging that the creatures were a safe distance behind her now. While she continued her journey through yet another kind of labyrinth, she got her first good look around the castle. The walls were filled with a great amount of art here, although there was no noticeable pattern at all. Many strange, large paintings with senseless shapes and a bright mix of colors were situated next to elaborate, detailed portraits of faeries doing an unusual variety of activities. Some were posed with immense care and a dignified air about them, while others were doing a number of lewd acts among the great forests surrounding them. Countless doors surrounded her as well. These were of all shapes and sizes and colors of course, could nothing here make sense?Her curiosity got the better of her and she approached one carefully.

It was carved with an ornate maze of vines and flowers, and the doorknob was a strange green crystal unlike anything she had ever seen. It slowly swung open, creaking loudly, only to reveal complete darkness beyond, an empty black pit of despair. Frightened, she slammed the door back into place, leaning against it with a sigh. That was the LAST door she would ever try. Standing up and dusting herself off, she continued on her way.

Finally, the end up the hallway was in sight. At the end was the largest door by far, trimmed in what appeared to be pure gold, with intricate designs drawn over the entire length of it, this could only be his room. It was just as ostentatious as the man himself was. As she gripped the doorknob firmly in her hand, doubt began to enter her mind. Would he be angry? She had rejected him after all, maybe she wasn't welcome here anymore. Or worse, what if he was undressed? Her eyes widened at the thought, she shouldn't be entering his room without permission. But she had come too far to turn back now. Strengthened by her resolve, she turned the knob as quietly as she could.

There he was, spread out in bed, blanket covering him from the waist down, pale hair spread out around his perfect face. She could almost see an innocence in him, lying there like that. She approached the bed carefully. Not nearly bold enough to lie down beside him, she simply took hold of his hand in hers, it's warmth more pleasant than she could have thought. She smiled gently as he opened his eyes in shock.

"Hi."

###  Jareth

Well now, wasn't this a pleasant dream. Here he was, sleeping soundly in his bed, and Sarah, in all her brilliance, standing over him like an angel sent from the heavens to rid him of his nightmares. He reached up and gently cupped her smooth cheek in his hand. This was one dream he did not intend on waking up from. 

"Hello, beautiful," he smiled brightly at his perfect angel. Taking her face in his hands, he pulled her down to him, and in one swift motion, pressed his lips against hers.

Her lips were as sweet as milk and honey, and urgency took him over as his head clouded with desire. Nothing else was real, nothing else mattered except that he had his Sarah in his arms at last. And all it took to end his happiness was the feel of those lips ripping away from his, and the cold, hard slap that cracked with a loud echo through the room. His shock so intense, he could do nothing but lie still.

Her eyes were big as saucers, "I-I'm so sorry! But you can't, I mean-you can't just kiss someone you hardly know like that! This is insane! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you...." Tears were pouring hot down her face as he realized at last that Sarah was here. Actually here, in his room, on his bed. "Please say something," she was panicking now. He couldn't find his words, his previous folly forgotten, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, running his hand through her hair. "Shhhh, Sarah it's alright, you're here. You're actually here. Don't cry, sweetheart. Have you changed your mind? No, never mind that, just let me hold you for a moment."

She relaxed into him for a brief, magnificent moment, before slowly pulling away. "Jareth, please, we need to talk." He did not like where this was going. "I've decided to come back, but that doesn't mean this is going to be easy. We need time, time to know one another. Time to figure out how this is all going to work. I'm not here to accept your offer...at least not yet. But I'm willing to see where this goes."

Time, he could do that. If it took all the time in the world, he would wait, patient as ever. This was his final chance, and he wasn't about to waste a moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, beautiful people! Friday came early this week :D  
> Actually, I forgot about the holiday, so Fridays will just have to wait to be regular until next weekend because I was way too excited to release this chapter to wait!  
> Hope you enjoy it!


	5. Beginnings

###  Jareth

Jareth looked longingly at the sleeping angel beside him, reaching up to brush the hair from her pale, heart shaped face. Rising carefully, so as not to disturb her, he tiptoed carefully out of the room. "Missy!" A short, brownish goblin with a squashed face and absurd looking pigtails hobbled over to him.

"It's Margey, your highness!" The wrinkled, stained maid's costume looked ridiculous hanging off her, but she was prompt and thorough- a rare find amongst goblins.

" Yes, yes, of course. I need you to ready the Queen's suite immediately, but listen very carefully Molly, you may tell absolutely no one of this. Is that understood?" The last thing he needed was a ruckus erupting around here while Sarah was trying to relax and adjust. She would get as much time as she needed, but he doubted she would be comfortable with the suggestion of sharing his bedchamber. The Queen's suite would do for now, it's spacious rooms, and especially it's close proximity to his own, made it perfect for their current situation.

"Yessir! Margey will get to it right now!" He didn't wait to watch her scuttle away, instead turning sharply on his heels and waltzing down the corridor to his next task.

Meanwhile, out in the labyrinth.....

Hoggle was nervously puttering around the garden, as usual, killing those darn pestering faeries. Life after the lady Sarah had been, well, dull. He was more anxious than ever, determined to not get on the Kings bad side, in fact, he'd rather stay out of his majesties way entirely if it were up to him.

"Higgle!

Goodness gracious! Hoggle whipped around at once, only to see the gloriously intimidating King, standing over him, arms crossed, looking horribly impatient. He had the dreadful idea of correcting his name for a moment, before he made the wise decision to leave well enough alone this time. "Your Majesty!" he squeaked, instead.

"Higgle, it does pain me to look upon your face again, but I have a mission for you of the utmost importance," he sneered at the dwarf, his disgust evident. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I shall make you the prince of stench in truth this time, do you hear? Good, you see Higgle, there is a woman here of great significance. A woman you are, unfortunately, quite familiar with. I'm certain that once she has settled in, she will wish to see her old friends. Therefore, I would like to arrange a picnic for you and the others, but make no mistake, I shall be keeping a closer eye on you than ever before, you'd do well to watch your steps carefully. I will be seeking you out in three days, I assume you have no other plans. Now I must be leaving, there are other preparations to be made." A flourish of his hand, and he was gone, leaving the dumbstruck Hoggle in his wake. 

Sarah had returned?!

###  Sarah

She groggily opened eyes, clutching the blanket tighter as she slowly took in the scene before her. Extravagant, that was the only word she could use to describe it. Last night she had been much too distracted to look around her, though how she could miss it was a mystery. Lavish furnishings filled the brightly lit room, dominated mostly by the giant bed she currently resided in. Paintings in gilded frames covered the walls, a giant mirror taking center stage on one side. She could see herself in it, though with her tangled hair a mess and her vacant, drooling gaze she didn't take a very long look for sure. Stepping out into the delightfully fuzzy slippers someone had left for her, she decided to see where the second door in the room led.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jareth leaned against the doorway, a sly smile planted on his dazzling face.

"Oh, um, nowhere I guess. Just thought I'd do a little exploring, I'd really like to take a bath, actually. If that's alright." It was unnerving her how easy it was beginning to be, being around this strange, beautiful man. Really, he wasn't that scary when you got right down to it. Intimidating for sure, but not terrifying.

"A bath, hm?" his devilish grin grew perceptively at the word. "Of course, princess. If you go through there," he nodded to the door she had been heading for just moments ago, "you'll find you have everything you need. I've already laid out some fresh clothing for you, we can talk about what you would like in your new wardrobe later. Is there anything else I can do for you, precious?"

She could guess the train of his thoughts, and it was making her so anxious she could feel the sweat trickling down her brow. She needed to get out of here quickly so she wouldn't do anything she'd regret later. "Oh, no thank you, that sounds wonderful. Thank you so much, really. I think a bath is just what I need, so I'll definitely be going now. Yep, leaving, so you can probably stay here. Or go. Or, stay here." Slick Sarah, real slick. She practically ran into the next room before she could see his reaction to her embarrassing rambling.

Holy avocados. His bath was gigantic. An elegant circular tub conquered the great room, gold plated and large enough to hold an entire party of people. Shockingly enough, it was already full and bubbly for her. A welcome surprise was the light breakfast tray sitting next to the edge, an elegant fruit and cheese tray with a cup of cider to pair with. Slipping out of her filthy jeans and t-shirt, she sunk slowly into the perfectly heated water. She had a private laugh as the sweet smell of peaches, of all things, wafted up to her nose. The scoundrel. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Sarah, sweetheart, when you're done, Marcy is in the hall waiting, she will escort you to me in the throne room and we can start the day. I have quite a feel plans for us, but take your time, you must be exhausted."

Exhausted. That was putting it mildly. She gave a deep sigh, this would not be easy. 

But then, the best things in life never were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thousand pardons, glorious people! I know I said Fridays, not two weeks ago, but some family stuff came up and I couldn't get to my laptop. I'll try to be more prompt from now on. Anywho, I hope you liked it. Comments and critiques please and thank you <3


	6. Gone

"Toby! Tell Sarah you two have to hurry up, dinner's going to get cold!"

Even his mother's agitated voice could not move him, frozen in the open doorway to her room. There one moment. Gone the next. Maybe she had crawled out the window. Yes, that must be it. It was the only way she could have left in the few moments since he had slammed the door in her face. Even as he thought it, he had to dismiss the idea. That would be childish and very un-Sarah-like, but nothing else was feasible enough.

"TOBY!"

He shook his head, snapping out of it at last. He ran swiftly down the stairs, taking three at a time in his effort to reach the kitchen.

"Sweetie, it's about time, but where's your sister?" Her questioning gaze quickly turning to astonishment as she took in the panicked look in her son's eyes.

Sweat dripped down his forehead as regret overtook him completely.

"Gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! ridiculously long hiatus was not intended, i assure you. For those of you reading this, thank you for sticking it out!

**Author's Note:**

> What great mysteries are in store for us! This is my first fic so please comment, I would love to hear your input so I can better my writing and entertaining abilities. New chapter coming soon!


End file.
